Les Collines Jellies and Preserves

SOMETIMES, YOU NEED TO go outside and pick some fruit. That’s what pulled writer Brigid Dorsey to her backyard crabapple trees a few years back, and soon enough, small jars of radiant, garnet-colored jelly filled the kitchen of her rural Columbia County home. Fifty pounds of hand-picked crabapples later, Dorsey’s first flavor of les collines preserves was born.

Now, four years since the brand premiered, Dorsey offers 16 varieties (and counting) of homemade, small-batch preserves. From the popular Meyer lemon rosemary jelly to the savory heirloom tomato butter, les collines flavor profiles break the breakfast-only stereotype. “Jelly is extremely versatile,” Dorsey notes. “One of my goals is to show people how fun it can be.”

French for “the hills” and named after her late mother Coline, the brand name pays homage to multiple other aspects of Dorsey’s life. “Living where I do is incredibly special—I love taking in the misty fog in the morning light and enjoying the seasons,” Dorsey says. “les collines is very much of the place that it was made, and of what inspires me: the land, local ingredients and the farmers.”

les collines jelly and preserves are available at many mid- and upper-Hudson Valley markets and online. Eight-ounce jars retail for $12 each, while 13-ounce range from $17 to $20.